MPs in the House of Commons will vote (on a free vote), whether to establish a Speakers Conference to find out whether or not the public see them as being detached from reality and out-of-touch with the ‘man in the street’. In simple terms: a self-serving elite is to investigate a self-serving elite to see if they are a self-serving elite with little or no attachment to voters or the country around them. If they ever raised their heads above the parapets in Westminster they’d know the truth as to how people really feel about them. Easily measured by the volume of grapeshot that grazes their brows.

Could this be a defining moment in Parliamentary history where the Members of Parliament become more accountable to the voters and finally answer their needs and desires. Of course it isn’t. This is nothing more than a patronising effort to change the ethnic and gender make up of Parliament so it better reflects society. I’m certain that people don’t care what the colour or gender of their MP is, they just want the job of representing them carried out by a person with the sufficient skills to do so. What they’ll get if Harman has her way is a collection of jobsworths who are just making up numbers. And the political process in this country will again be detrimentally damaged.

What connection should there be between the voters and the elected officials? Simple really: that the views of the majority are fairly represented by the elected candidate. Unfortunately in this country what the constituents get is what is regarded to be best for the national interest in line with a party’s overriding ideology. MPs will always be out of touch. People want the simple things that they have to call on in their daily lives to work efficiently, or the problems in their locale fixed within an appropriate timescale. MPs self-interest, Three Line Whips, and party politics all play a part in allowing MPs to disregard the mere voter. MPs shall remain forever adrift.